When did fibre become so popular? You can’t turn your head without some earnest food packaging reassuring you it has ‘extra fibre’ to lower your cholesterol.
That’s great, the link between increasing your fibre intake and lowering your cholesterol has long been known.
There are a lot of long scientific words around it, but in the interests of keeping you engaged and not bored, basically, fibre absorbs the bad cholesterol. If only all scientific explanations were that simple.
And we all know that cholesterol is bad for you. It gets deposited in your arteries, clogs things up and can eventually lead to high blood pressure and heart attacks. Not ideal, but if it’s as simple as eating more fibre, then we should do that.
More effective
As a welcome bonus, if you are taking statins to lower cholesterol, the addition of soluble fibre in your diet may also make statins twice as effective.
According to BetterHealth, about half of all adult Australians have a blood cholesterol level above 5mmol/L, when it should be under 2mmol/L. This makes high blood cholesterol a major health concern in Australia.
So, then, the question is how much fibre do you need to start lowering cholesterol?
The first thing to know is that there are two types of fibre. Soluble fibre is found in certain fruits, vegetables, oats and legumes. Insoluble fibre is found in wholegrain foods, nuts, and seeds.
Soluble fibre is the stuff you need to ‘dissolve’ cholesterol, so how much should you aim for and how can you include it in your diet?
Generally, your total fibre intake should be about 25 to 38 grams a day, and Australians diets are about half of that. Part of that daily intake should be about 2-10 grams of soluble fibre.
Reduction in cholesterol
Research shows that regular consumption of soluble fibre is associated with a 5–10 per cent reduction in total cholesterol, and every little bit counts.
So two to 10 grams, sounds easy right? But as the above mentioned figures show, many of us can’t even manage that.
Here’s some simple dietary changes you can do to improve your diet and lower your cholesterol.
Of course, include a wide variety of fruits, nuts and vegetables in your diet means you can hit all your target fibre levels, but specifically for soluble fibre you should include more:
- oats
- barley
- beans
- brussels sprouts
- fruits including avocados, pears, figs, stone fruit, apples and guavas
- vegetables including sweet potato, broccoli, turnips and carrots.
Fibre, of both sorts, also helps to avoid constipation and leaves you feeling full, thus helping you to avoid overeating.
What about supplements?
Of course, it’s best to improve your health through a better diet, but fibre supplements can be a good way to kick off the process.
However, it is important to talk to your doctor first before including fibre supplements in your diet. If you have underlying health conditions such as bowel blockages or Crohn’s disease, extra fibre can be a problem.
Fibre supplements can also cause bloating and gas, so maybe start small and build up the dosage if you are experiencing any of those symptoms.
Do you make sure you have plenty of fibre in your diet? What about supplements? Why not share your experience in the comments section below?
Also read: Surprising heart attack triggers
